Happy Halloween: It's a Cold One on the Homestead

Well, so much for pumpkins on the porch and trick-or-treaters at the door. Here on the homestead, Halloween decided to show up wearing a coat of snow instead of a costume. While everyone else is carving pumpkins and sipping cider, I’m over here pulling on insulated boots and wondering if the candy bowl should include packets of hand warmers.

This photo pretty much sums it up—Mother Nature showing off her icy sense of humor. A thin blanket of snow covers the garden beds, the fences, and the stubborn kale that still thinks it’s summer. The trees, stripped of most of their leaves, stand frosted in white, and the mountains in the distance are blushing under the soft pink light of dawn. It’s beautiful, no question—but let’s just say it’s not exactly the kind of Halloween that calls for short sleeves or plastic vampire teeth.

The thermometer hovered just below freezing when I stepped outside to snap this picture. The air had that sharp, metallic bite that makes your nose run and your hot chocolate taste even better. The crunch of snow underfoot mixed with the distant call of a crow, the only creature out and about at that hour besides me. The barn roof shimmered in the early light, and the smoke from the chimney curled straight up into a pale blue sky—our unofficial flag of surrender to winter.

Every year around this time, I hope for one last warm spell, a final hurrah before the long freeze sets in. But this year, winter clearly got a head start. Even the pumpkins look surprised—frozen mid-smile, wearing a dusting of snow like a bad toupee.

So I’ll light the wood stove, pour another mug of cocoa, and settle in. Happy Halloween from the frozen north—where even the ghosts are wearing mittens and the scarecrows are demanding scarves.

Enjoyed this tale from the barnyard?

Don’t miss the next round of critter chaos — subscribe here or follow on Facebook.

🐑 If this story made you smile, please click one of the gray share buttons below instead of copy-paste—it helps folks find their way back here for more tales from the farm.🐓

©2011 Sandy Davis | American Way Farm